Features

Keep Wipes Out of the Pipes campaign gains international recognition
 Circular Economy, Features, Online Subscription

Keep Wipes Out of the Pipes campaign gains international recognition

Senior media and PR advisor at Sydney Water, Peter Hadfield, accepted the award in Singapore, and also made a presentation on the campaign at the Asia Pacific Communications Summit.

Inside Waste caught up with Hadfield when he returned to the country to get his thoughts on the recognition, how the campaign has gone thus far, what’s next, and what we’ve got to look forward to in this space.

Inside Waste: How important has it been getting the message out about the issues that we face associated with wet wipes being flushed? Read more

Improving profit margins in the face of global challenges
 Australia, Features, Online Subscription, Professional Services

Improving profit margins in the face of global challenges

Inside Waste (IW) spoke to World First currency specialist Joe Donnachie to find out more about the platform, particularly how it is able to offer savings that the big four banks may not.

IW: How is World First meeting some of the unique challenges and demands of the sector? Donnachie: Price and time constraints are extremely tight for companies in the waste industry, so the 24-hour service World First provides is fundamental: clients can log into their tailored online trading platform at any time to place trades for overseas orders. Sudden moves in AUD/USD (or other currency pairs) can also make a huge difference to profit margins, therefore our currency specialists are dedicated to watching these movements and personally keeping clients updated. Read more

Legal Eagle: Will the proposed C&D reforms level the playing field?
 Australia, Features, New South Wales, Online Subscription, Professional Services

Legal Eagle: Will the proposed C&D reforms level the playing field?

The purpose of the consultation paper is to consult industry on the proposed changes to the Protection of the Environment Operations (Waste) Regulation 2014 (NSW) (Waste Regulation). As many would be aware, the introduction of this legislation in 2014 was meant to “provide a level playing field for waste operators” but it is widely thought that this was not achieved.

The proposed amendments are promoted as being required to address the ongoing concerns in the construction and demolition waste sector and to meet the objectives of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW) (POEO Act). Whilst the EPA has branded the proposed changes as being for the construction and demolition waste sector, it is apparent that, if legislated, the changes will extend to the operations of many more industry waste sectors. Read more

Bulletproof your business against climate change
 Australia, Features, Online Subscription, Opinion

Bulletproof your business against climate change

With the climate warming before our eyes, it’s clear that climate change is happening – with annual global greenhouse emissions continuing to rise, or at best starting to stabilise.

It’s going to get significantly worse before it gets better, given the long time (many hundreds of years in some cases) that greenhouse gases linger in the atmosphere. Read more

Is Australia ready for EfW?
 Australia, Features, Online Subscription, Waste & Resource Recovery

Is Australia ready for EfW?

Manning, who chaired day one of the Waste Management Association of Australia’s (WMAA) national energy from waste conference on October 25 and 26, will be speaking at the Bioenergy Australia Conference in Brisbane this month on the potential for EfW in Australia.

She said her message to the delegates at the forthcoming conference will reiterate the consistent themes, topics and messages relayed at WMAA’s event. Read more

Scientists discover new catalyst to turn CO2 into ethanol
 Circular Economy, Features, Online Subscription

Scientists discover new catalyst to turn CO2 into ethanol

The researchers were originally attempting to make a material called grapheme but failed because they did not have the correct equipment.

Instead, they created another new hybrid material consisting of tiny spikes of carbon and copper spears on a surface of silicon, only a few atoms thick.

According to ORNL’s Adam Rondinone, lead researcher on the project, the new catalyst was discovered somewhat by accident when they were trying to study the first step of a proposed reaction, and instead realised that the catalyst was doing the entire reaction on its own. Read more

Biogas: The ugly duckling of renewable energy
 Australia, Features, Online Subscription, Professional Services, Queensland

Biogas: The ugly duckling of renewable energy

While the golden children of the renewables sector – wind and solar, will likely take the early glory and admiration of the public, many questions remain as to which other technologies will fill the void.

While it’s widely known that wind turbines don’t produce power with no wind, and solar panels don’t produce power without sunlight, what’s not widely understood is the potential for the ugly duckling of the renewable energy litter – biogas, to prove itself indispensable in providing a base load power supply. Read more

Blockchain P2P trading to support transition to a distributed energy future
 Circular Economy, Features, Online Subscription

Blockchain P2P trading to support transition to a distributed energy future

Using blockchain-enabled peer-to-peer (P2P) trading to support this transition could be one of the solutions to those challenges, argued David Martin, co-founder and managing director of Power Ledger, during his keynote address at the All-Energy Conference in Melbourne.

According to Martin, the system that we’ve designed and the plans for the systems that we have set out in front of us are based on a historical and dated view of how the system worked. Read more

Framing Australia's climate policy and energy mix
 Australia, Features, Online Subscription, Professional Services

Framing Australia’s climate policy and energy mix

Led by RepuTex head of research Bret Harper, the webinar event discussed the proposed design of energy and climate policy to meet Australia’s 2030 target, including discussion on the recent Framing Australia’s Energy & Climate Policy Mix to 2030 White Paper, and the RepuTex Energy & Climate Policy (ECP) Tool.

According to Harper, the Australian energy and climate landscape is witnessing rapid change, and the Paris Agreement’s set target of 26-28% could potentially grow to about 45-65%. Read more

Absence of waste issues in draft plan "beyond belief"
 Australia, Features, Online Subscription, Queensland, Waste & Resource Recovery

Absence of waste issues in draft plan “beyond belief”

Released last week, ShapingSEQ seeks to “promote the things that SEQ residents value like a connected region, affordable housing, protecting our natural environment and our unique lifestyle”. It notes that by 2041, SEQ’s population is expected to have increased by two million people.

“One of the most important issues facing South East Queensland is the provision of diverse and affordable housing. The new ShapingSEQ broadens this to include the idea of affordable living. Affordable living is about more than just the cost of a house it’s about how we interact with services and engage with our community,” Deputy Premier Jackie Trad said. Read more